West Wing TV Show - In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Part I - West Wing Photos & Videos, West Wing Reviews & West Wing Recaps | TWoP

Recapped by Deborah · Aired 10-03-2000

Previously on The West Wing: Gina noticed neo-Nazi crackers glaring at Zoey in a crowd; Josh told Hoynes that, had Hoynes listened to Josh three years ago, he'd be President now; two gunmen opened fire on President Jed Bartlet and his staff as they left a meeting on Monday evening in Rosslyn, Virginia. Chaos ensued.

Monday, 9:37 PM. Amidst flashing lights and sirens, the President and his staff are being driven away from the shooting site. Jed is naturally shaken and upset, and is fretting about Zoey, demanding to know how she is and wanting to speak with her. Head Secret Service guy Ron Butterfield, who's trying to keep Jed calm, explains that Zoey can't talk right now because she's puking on the floor of the limo behind theirs. Jed's getting more distraught as Ron tries to reassure him that Zoey will be all right, and explains that Gina had to stay behind to help with the investigation. Jed is breathing extremely heavily and asks whether anyone is "dead back there." Ron says he doesn't think so, at which point Jed notices that Ron's right hand is bleeding profusely through a scrap of bandage. Ron explains that he got hit, and seems pretty calm about it. Jed yells to the driver to turn around, that they've got to go to the hospital. Ron and Jed argue vehemently about this. Ron insists, "I have to put you inside the White House, Mr. President! This isn't something we discuss." Jed blusters, "My daughter is throwing up on the floor of the car behind us, you're losing blood by the litre, not to mention God knows how many broken bones you've got in your hand, but let's make sure I'm tucked in bed before we do anything..." A little blood appears on Jed's lips. Ron leans over and starts patting Jed all over -- on the back of his head, around his neck, finally sticking his left hand under Jed's jacket and bringing it back up covered with blood. Ron screams at the driver, "G.W.! Blue! Blue! Blue!" The limousine hangs a squealing one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn and speeds off.

Cut to C.J., back at the crime scene, holding a cloth to her head and insisting to a paramedic that she's fine, that she just hit her head on the ground. The paramedic assesses her consciousness and tells her he doesn't think she'll need stitches but that she should find someplace to lie down. Desperately anxious, she asks him, "Is the President dead?" He says he wouldn't know about that and rushes off to help someone else. C.J. walks around the police car that she was sitting on and bends down to pick up her belongings, noticing the bullet-shattered window on the car's opposite side. Just then Sam walks up and asks if she's all right. He tells her that the President and Zoey are on their way back to the White House, and that they've just put Leo in a car. He asks her again if she's all right; C.J. says, "Somebody pulled me down." Just then Gina comes barrelling through on her way to speak to Tommy Cho, the ID agent. She tells him that there were two shooters and that they've got them, but that there was a third person signalling them from the ground. She tries to give Tommy as much detail as she can, but she can't remember much beyond "white male, twenty to twenty-five, maybe five ten." Tommy takes off ordering the agents around him, "Fix a perimeter! Close the airports, shut 'em down! I want the Harbour Patrol and the Coast Guard!" People are shouting and running all over the place; Gina looks miserable.

By Deborah

Cut to Toby looking for Josh. He runs into Charlie, who tells him that Josh got into the car with Leo. Toby says that it was Shanahan who got in the car with Leo, not Josh. Charlie's not sure what to do, but goes off in response to someone's call for help. Toby continues searching for Josh, finally noticing him sitting at the top of some stairs near a big concrete planter. As the camera follows Toby's legs up the stairs, and Toby comes face to face with Josh, we see Josh in shock, holding both hands to a bloody wound in his upper left abdomen. Toby's literally thrown off-kilter by what he sees, and it takes him a second to be able to call for a doctor loudly enough. C.J. and Sam hear Toby and come running. Just then Josh collapses and Toby manages to support Josh's head before it hits the ground.

Roll the new, improved credits, minus one Mandy "Amandaleine" Hampton and plus one Donna "Now with 35\% less irritation factor" Moss. We get new footage of all the actors, and since this will probably be discussed in the forums, the order is: Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, and Martin Sheen. Sheen gets the coveted "and" along with final billing.

After some commercials so we can catch our breath, we're at the hospital emergency room as the show goes all ER on our asses for a little bit. Suddenly I am seized with additional compassion for Wing Chun and Sars, who must recap this sort of medicalized frenzy every week, only with bad scripts. ["Well, Sars is off that particular hook, but James Van Der Beek's nostrils are a special kind of hell all on their own." -- Wing Chun] It's a relatively calm, quiet night at the hospital so far. Nurses are bantering pleasantly when the phone rings. One nurse answers the phone on the desk, only it's not the one that's ringing. She picks up the red wall phone and Ron Butterfield (on the other end) simply says, "We're coming in!" She starts asking about whether it's a drill, because while they're not that busy, she does have a couple of kids with alcohol poisoning...but while she's blathering on about delaying things if it's a drill, limousines with sirens blaring have pulled up in view of the window. Seeing this, she hangs up and picks up the announcement microphone and says, "Trauma one! Blue! Blue!" Everyone starts running around. Secret Service guys are swarming the place already, moving low-priority patients out to another hospital. I'm guessing nobody in the entire building rates as higher priority than POTUS with a gunshot wound. One Secret Service guy is barking orders as he hustles through some swinging doors, at the same time as a doctor bursts through the same doors hollering for a crash cart and ultrasound. The camera closes in tightly on the face of another Secret Service guy who announces, "Eagle is two minutes away."

Back at the White House, the news hasn't hit yet. Vice-President Hoynes is working a photo op and congratulating a women's basketball team and their coach on some great season or other (sorry, I just tune out the minute the talk turns to sports), and he's in the middle of a sentence when a door bursts open and several agents come straight for Hoynes, asking him to come with them. Hoynes looks completely stunned, as about six or seven guys hustle him out the door.

In the White House residence, Abby Bartlet, First Lady of the United States, is hurrying to a car. She looks scared but has her wits about her. She races down the hall, finding out from one of the agents that her husband is conscious, they're moving him to pre-op, and that he was hit in the side; the bullet exited the wound. As far as I know, that's generally good news. She asks about Zoey and is assured that she's okay, and on her way to G.W., which I take to be George Washington Hospital. The car squeals off.

Back at the hospital, the President's being brought in on a gurney. Nurses and doctors are all accompanying him as the gurney sails through the halls, calling out his vital signs. The trauma surgeon introduces himself to POTUS as Dr. Keller. I know I recognize the guy playing this doctor, and I could swear I've seen him on ER, but I can't place him. Anyway, Dr. Keller tries to say some reassuring things about Jed's condition, but Jed isn't interested. "Swear to God, if I don't speak to my daughter in the five minutes, I'm going to attack something." Ron Butterfield, still holding his bloody hand, tells Jed that she's on her way. Jed tells the doctors about Ron, "This guy's got about seven broken bones in his hand, by the way, if somebody wants to give him an aspirin or something!" Even a bullet cannot quell Jed's sarcasm. Jed's in the pre-op room now and tells the staff that he wants them to wait as long as possible before anaesthetizing him, because he needs to speak to Leo McGarry before going under. Ron says that Leo's on his way. A nurse leans over and says quietly to Jed that she needs to ask him some questions, and inquires as to whether he has any medical conditions. Jed: "Well, I've been shot..."

Back at the White House, Mrs. Landingham and Margaret seem to be working late, and are quite unaware of the hubbub. They are bantering about how the President can never resist working a rope line, when Margaret notices that there's a special news report starting on the television. She turns up the sound and they watch in silent horror as the anchorman announces that multiple gun shots were fired at the President. Mrs. Landingham bolts out the door without a word.

Zoey's arrived at the hospital. She bursts through the doors of pre-op, where her father is already reassuring her practically before she's in the room. Zoey asks if he's in a lot of pain, which he says he's not. Zoey: "Are you lying?" Jed, drolly: "Yeah, 'cause I want these guys to tell reporters that I was brave and joking around." Zoey tells him, "You are brave. You were so good tonight, Dad." He says he's fine and that he's just happy to see her. Zoey tells him that Mom's on her way. "Mom's gonna be pretty pissed," Jed replies. Just then Leo arrives, looking white as a sheet. He asks Zoey how she is; she claims to be fine. POTUS pipes up, "She booted all over the back of her car. You know they're gonna bill me for that." Jed gets Zoey to leave; she says she'll wait for her mother. Jed calls out after her, "Tell her not to frighten the doctors!" Jed asks if anybody was killed. Leo tells him they got the two shooters through the window, but that there seem to have only been injuries in the crowd, and those people are coming in now. Jed asks about the staff, and Leo reports that C.J. hit her head on the ground. He believes that's all, since he left before Josh was found. Jed tells Leo to get the cabinet and the security council together, and to have trading on the stock market suspended. He asks Leo whether they know who the shooters were. Leo says no. Jed tells him he'll be under anaesthesia for a while, and asks if Leo knows what he means by mentioning that. Leo says that he'll talk to Abby. The doctor advises that it's time to operate. Jed gestures to Leo and says, "Hey...come here." He puts his hand on the back of Leo's neck gently, and pulls his head down as if he's going to whisper a state secret. Instead, he kisses Leo gently on the cheek. Leo looks surprised as Jed says, "It's okay." Leo says he'll see him in a few hours. Jed rests his head on his pillow and sighs.

Out in the hall, Abby arrives and rushes to hug Zoey as soon as she sees her. Zoey says, "Dad's making jokes." Abby asks, "Good ones?" Zoey: "No." Abby: "Okay." The surgeon comes up along with Leo. Abby asks what Jed's PO2 is, and whether they're going to do a laparoscopy. Dr. Keller says they will, in order to make sure the peritoneum is intact. She asks for the name of the anaesthesiologist. She goes off in search of Dr. Lee, finding him alone in a room. She says, "There are fourteen people in the world who know this, including the Vice-President, the Chief of Staff, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. You're going to be the fifteenth. Seven years ago, my husband was diagnosed with a relapsing/remitting course of MS. When all this is over, tell the press, don't tell the press...it's entirely up to you." Then she leaves. So, let's see: the fourteen must be: Jed, Abby, Zoey, their other two daughters, Leo, Hoynes, Fitz, probably an MS specialist, possibly a pharmacist...who else? Maybe their sons-in-law? Charlie probably knows, since he personally takes care of the President, probably has to remind him about medication or carry it around for him or something. Ron Butterfield probably knows. Who else? I wonder. Talk amongst yourselves.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Gina is beating herself up for being unable to give any more details about the guy on the ground. Leo reassures her, saying she got Zoey in the car. This doesn't console her much. You can tell this woman would open a vein if it would help her remember a little more and enable them to find the guy. Just then another trauma victim comes crashing through the doors attended by numerous medical staff; it's Josh. Leo is stunned. Leo asks what happened; Toby fills him in briefly. Sam and C.J. are also rushing in behind the gurney. We hear one hospital staff member yell that the single gunshot wound is in the fifth intercostal space. Josh barely conscious and is mumbling incoherently, "I shouldn't be at this meeting..." As they reach the trauma room, Josh repeats, "I shouldn't be at this meeting...I need to get to New Hampshire." He tries to lift his head up and move. Sam is standing over him saying, "We went to New Hampshire. We both did. You came and got me." As half a dozen people work on Josh and try to explain to him what happened to him and what they're doing, Josh slips out of consciousness and into the first of the flashbacks that will so skilfully form the backdrop for this pair of episodes.

John Hoynes is pacing around a meeting table full of staff, including Josh. Hoynes is expounding on how "Social Security is the black hole of national politics." Hoynes states that he does not wish to get lost in that black hole thirteen weeks before the New Hampshire. "It is the third rail: you step on it and you die." Josh begs to differ, naturally: he feels that since Social Security will be bankrupt in exactly seventeen years, and that half the elderly population will be living in poverty, the issue qualifies now as a priority. The other staffers seem to think Josh is all wrong on this and that prior to election, they should just harp on tax cuts. One of them, a woman who looks and sounds like her name just has to be Muffy, pipes up, saying, "It's what magicians call misdirection." Josh snaps, "Really? 'Cause it's what the rest of us call bull--" Hoynes interrupts, "Knock it off!" Hoynes has to leave for a vote, and asks Josh to come with him. Out in the hall, Hoynes wants to know why Josh has been pissed off at every meeting for a month. Josh complains, "Senator, you're the prohibitive favourite to be the Democratic party's nominee for President, you have fifty-eight million in the war chest with no end in sight, and...I don't know what we're for. I don't know what we're for, I don't know what we're against, except we seem to be for winning and against somebody else winning." Hoynes tell him they're going to run a good campaign that he can be proud of, and that when they get to the White House, Josh is going to play a big role. "In the meantime: cheer up, and get off my ass about Social Security." Hoynes takes off for his vote. Josh wanders into another office area. Just then, Leo McGarry shows up. Leo's mouth seems oddly tight in this scene. He apologizes for not making an appointment, but explains he's "trying to fly under the radar" a little bit. Josh assumes he wants to see Hoynes, but explains that Hoynes just went in for a vote. Leo cracks, "It's probably the annual vote to override the veto on the resolution to ship nuclear waste to Nevada." Josh: "Yeah." Leo: "It won't pass." Josh: "No kidding."

Anyway, it's Josh that Leo wants to see. They go for a walk outside. Leo asks about Josh's father, who seems to be someone Leo knows, and who also seems to be battling cancer. Josh talks about how his father won't take it easy, insists on working long hours and spends his weekends cleaning gutters and yelling at squirrels. (Like father, like son: didn't Donna accuse Josh of yelling at her cats?) Anyway, to get on with the story, Leo wants Josh to come to Nashua, New Hampshire to hear Governor Jed Bartlet speak. Josh seems a little surprised and tells Leo that he works for Senator Hoynes. Leo does seem to be aware of that. He also tells Josh to stop calling him Mr. Secretary, since he's not in the Cabinet anymore, and asks to be called Leo. Josh claims that Hoynes has the nomination sewn up, and doesn't seem to understand why Leo wants him to do this. Leo repeats his request for Josh to come to Nashua. Josh asks why. "'Cause that's what sons do for old friends of their fathers. I'll see you then." As Leo confidently walks away, Josh says, "The Democrats aren't gonna nominate another liberal academic former governor from New England. I mean, we're dumb, but we're not that dumb." Leo pauses for a moment, and then says, "Nah. I think we're exactly that dumb." Leo leaves, and as Josh walks up the stairs, he pulls out his cell phone and asks someone named Janet to get him train tickets to Nashua.

After some commercials, we see a shot of some skyscrapers and then cut to a bunch of suits sitting around a conference table with their laptops. They're blathering about some million-dollar deal, and as they do so, the camera pans around to land on Sam, who's slightly distracted and seems to be doodling on his pad. When called upon, he explains that this deal, which is apparently to purchase some oil tankers, is a good deal because it's structured to limit their liability. A title informs us that this is Gage Whitney Page, Midtown Manhattan. One of the suits complains about Sam calling the oil tankers boats instead of ships. Sam says, "Mr. Cameron, you want me to buy the boats, you're not asking me to be the first mate, right?" Immediately I'm thinking how Rob Lowe's hair might be up for an Emmy™ year, because simply by virtue of being about an inch longer than it was all last year, suddenly it's conveying the image of the wayward, arrogant, blow-dried preppy boy who was embarrassed by sleazy videos he made. Whereas last year, with his shorter, spiky little haircut and trendy glasses, he looked the very image of the earnest, caring, slightly geeky politico, bristling with good intentions. I hope he's planning to cut his hair after all this flashback filming is done, because for some reason, his hair at this length is like, hair at its smuggest. (It's a word. Don't make me come over there.) Anyway, Sam goes on explaining how the deal is structured to protect the corporation and make it judgment-proof. He excuses himself to go back to his office to get some papers. Someone in the hall tells him Josh Lyman is waiting for him in his office. Sam seems surprised and excited, and embraces Josh warmly. ["Very warmly. Okay, I saw chemistry there. I'm just saying." -- Wing Chun] Josh says, "You made partner?" Sam says, "month." Sam's hungry, and suggests they go get a hot dog. Josh points out that it's 9:30 in the morning. Sam thinks they'll be fresh. If you say so, Sam.

By Deborah

Leo and some big-shot military guy are on their way to the Situation Room. I can't remember whether this guy has been named before, although he was on the show last season. I also think he played one of George's bosses on Seinfeld. ["He's also the military-school dude with the eyepatch on Malcolm in the Middle." -- Wing Chun] The military guy is asking about the President, and tells Leo that Admiral Fitzwallace was on his way to Manila, but that his plane has turned around and he should be back in D.C. in about four hours. In the meantime they are in contact with him by phone. As they enter the Situation Room, almost everybody else is there. Leo asks where the National Security Advisor is, which strikes me as a slightly odd. I know Sorkin probably needed to help make it clear who this new person is when she comes in, but wouldn't Leo just say, "Where's Nancy?" I mean, you wouldn't go to a budget meeting and say, "Where's the Assistant VP of Finance?" You'd say, "Where's Skippy?" Or maybe it's just me. Anyway, Big-Shot Military Guy, whose name turns out to be Jack, tells Leo that she's on her way, as is Hoynes. Just then Nancy (Anna Deavere Smith) gracefully strides in wearing an apricot evening gown and sequined jacket. Clearly she wasn't at home surfing the net for MP3s when she was called in. As she sits down she asks someone named Mike to get some clothes sent over for her: "I look like an idiot." Then Hoynes arrives; everybody stands except a few guys who don't stand until someone says, "Ten-hut." Hoynes tells everybody, "No, as you were...it's okay." I gotta say, he strikes me as the sorta guy who would groove on these formalities and shows of deference, but I guess under the circumstances he's rightly distracted.

Anyway, on with the meeting. First there's a report on domestic activity: air traffic control was down for twenty-two minutes at Logan; Citibank computers were offline for a little more than an hour, and lights were off for seven minutes at the Delta Centre. Hoynes seems surprised that the shooters had no ID on them, but Jack tells him that the shooters knew they were going to get them through the window. I kinda think that if I was going to go out and shoot at the President, I might leave my ID at home, too. Hoynes says that if the signal man isn't in custody in an hour, he's going to federalize the Virginia and Maryland National Guard. Nancy says, "It's worth mentioning that at this moment, we do not know the whereabouts of about a half-dozen cell leaders, including bin Laden. But that's not my concern right now." Nancy calls their attention to the KH-10s, which I take to be satellite surveillance images or some such thing. Leo's not worried about what they show. Nancy says they show a sudden buildup of the frontline Iraqi Republican Guard units along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Leo says they do that all the time. Nancy says they're moving south, and reminds them that thirteen hours ago they shot down an F117 in the no-fly zone, and that the rescue mission invaded their airspace with armed M50 Pave Hawks and her recommendation would be for the President to order Fitzwallace to put the 32nd Tactical on ready alert and take them to DEFCON 4. Leo says that the President is under anaesthesia at the moment, but that if he weren't, he'd be comforted by knowing that RDF can put Marines on the ground in thirty-six hours. Nancy replies, "We may not have thirty-six hours!" Leo snaps, "The Iraqi Republican Guard can't find their car keys in thirty-six hours!" Nancy tells them to look at the photos: "I think they found them." Hoynes has to make a decision now. He's been listening to Leo and Nancy pull him in two directions, and I get the distinct feeling he's never had to make a decision of this magnitude before. Everyone waits for VPOTUS to make his decision. Leo stares at Hoynes fairly grimly. Maybe it's just because Leo looks a lot more intimidating than Nancy does in her apricot satin, but Hoynes decides they're going to follow Leo on this one. Leo asks Jack the best way to get a message to Iraq; Jack says it's through the King of Jordan. Someone else asks Leo what the message should be. Leo says, "Don't mess with us tonight." Nancy looks concerned.

Back at the hospital, Harvey the administrator comes to the waiting room where Sam, Toby, Charlie and C.J. are waiting with some agents. Harvey mentions that Josh is going to be in surgery for such a long time, and that they won't be too comfortable there. Just then Donna bursts in the opposite door, all anxious and apologetic. She asks about POTUS, and C.J. tells her flatly that he's going to be fine. Donna, unaware of Josh's situation, breathes a sigh of relief and starts babbling about rushing over there and so on, until finally Toby takes the bull by the horns and tells her that Josh was hit. Donna's face is really something as she wordlessly struggles to apprehend this information. Finally she says, "Hit with what?" Toby replies, "He was shot...in the chest." C.J. adds that he's in surgery right now. Donna says, "I don't understand...I don't understand...is it serious?" Toby responds, "Yes, it's critical. The bullet collapsed his lung and damaged a major artery." Donna puts her hand up to her mouth, barely holding back the tears. Harvey jumps back in, suggesting that since they won't know anything more about Josh until morning, that they go and deal with the other things that they need to and that the hospital will stay in touch with them by phone. Harvey leaves. Donna sits down, looking stricken. Sam hands C.J. a piece of paper; she says that Leo is going to meet with the leadership in ten minutes and when he's done, she'll speak to the press. Charlie says that he's going back to the residence to get some of POTUS's things. Donna stares blankly ahead.

After some commercials, C.J. is fielding a press briefing. The reporters are all talking and shouting at once. One of them has the most unbelievably strident voice I think I've ever heard on a woman. C.J. says that Drs. Keller and Jarvis will be available for a debriefing in a few hours. Danny asks whether there's been any discussion of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. C.J. says there hasn't. Danny naturally wants to know why not. C.J. reiterates that the President's wounds are fairly superficial, and that he's expected to make a "full and speedy recovery." Danny, to no one's very great surprise, looks unsatisfied with that, but lets it go. Another reporter asks whether there's any information on the identity of the shooters. The reporter says that AP is reporting that two bodies were brought out of the office building, and that there's a massive manhunt underway for a third accomplice. C.J. insists that she doesn't have anything on that for them. Another obnoxious reporter asks whether C.J. can tell them why the AP knows more than she does. Buddy, I know you've got your little deadlines and so forth, but cut the woman some slack, hmm? She was just shot at. C.J. replies, "I don't believe they do know more than I do, I just think they're willing to tell you more than I am." Another reporter, Arthur, points out that administrations had the President enter and exit public buildings under a tent or canopy, and wants to know why that precaution is not followed for Bartlet, or why it wasn't in this case, at least. She replies that it's policy not to comment on protection procedures. Arthur continues badgering her: "Is there anything you know, is there anything you can tell us?" C.J. pauses oddly and says she'll be back in ninety minutes for another briefing, and adds that she hopes they'll know more then. C.J. and Carol leave the press briefing room and C.J. wants to know what that was all about: "'Since you can't seem to give us answers...'" Carol, in an odd non-sequitur, says to C.J., "You scratched your neck," which is apparently the universal sign to reporters meaning, "Please savage me with your hostile questions." C.J. says that she lost her necklace and that it must have come off when somebody pushed her down. Suddenly Danny's caught up behind them and Carol goes back to her cubicle. Danny wants to know who is in charge, if the Twenty-Fifth Amendment hasn't been invoked. C.J. recites blandly, "The Vice-President, the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the White House Chief of Staff..." Danny complains, "You just named six people...who's in charge?" C.J. says, "The Canadiens." Danny doesn't find this funny. C.J. says, "You understand I'm talking about the hockey team?" She asks Danny to give her a little time and walks away.

Over in Leo's office, he and Nancy are still at it. C.J. and Toby are there, and some other guy I don't recognize. He says that Fitzwallace agrees with him: any upgrade in their "defensive posture" and the whole world's going to wake up. Nancy argues that the world is awake. Moreover, she thinks that there may be more people involved with the shooting than just the three guys they've talked about so far, and that there's no reason to believe otherwise. She points out that somebody had to let the shooters into that building. "This wasn't a lonely guy who lived with his cats! There was a plan! And one of the things we have to assume is that we are under attack right now." The guy I don't recognize reiterates the suggestion for VPOTUS to order them to go to DEFCON 4. He must be one of Nancy's flunkies. Leo explains that the White House Counsel isn't sure he can do that. Toby'd like to know why not. Leo says, "He never signed a letter." Nancy starts to explain that customarily if the President's going to be under general anaesthetic...Toby interrupts and says, "He's gotta sign a letter giving the Vice-President power?" Nancy replies, "Absent the Twenty-Fifth, the Constitution doesn't give it to him unless the President's dead." Toby's incredulous. "He's haemorrhaging, and he's supposed to draft a memo?" Nancy's like, "Yeah!" C.J. says Danny's pestering her about who's in power. Where the hell is Al Haig when you need him, anyway? Nancy adds calmly that it gets more complicated, "if you've read Section 202 of the National Security Act of 1947," which I can only presume is what's sitting on Aaron Sorkin's night table. C.J. says with a hint of impatience, "Let's assume I haven't." Nancy continues, "It says that the Secretary of Defense will be the principal assistant to the President on all matters relating to the national security." C.J. asks what "principal assistant" means. Nancy pauses and replies, "It doesn't specify." Toby's fully irritated now: "No, it wouldn't, because this is an area of federal law where you'd want as much ambiguity as possible." Toby excuses himself, and C.J. says she's going back to the hospital. Leo says he'll be there in a bit.

Out in the hall, Toby tells C.J. to try to hold Danny off for a few hours. He mentions that she scratched her neck. It seems odd to me that everyone would fixate on such a normal, banal gesture. She mumbles about her necklace and then tells Toby that she's being asked about why a canopy wasn't used. Toby just says, "Okay." C.J. says that since they don't comment on protection procedure, she doesn't think she'll have to answer the question. Toby just says, "Yeah." C.J., not sure she understands, just says, "Okay." Toby says he'll see her at the hospital. As he walks into his office area, he asks someone for Section 202 of the National Security Act of 1947. I'll bet Aaron Sorkin could lend you his copy. He walks into his office past Ginger, not really seeing her at first. Then he notices that she's just standing there, looking shell-shocked. She's clearly pretty upset, and can't really come up with much to say. Toby gives her a hug, and tells her it's okay. She thanks him. He asks if she's all right, and if she's ready to work now. She says she is. As she goes back to her desk, and he turns to walk into his office, we hear a man's voice say, "You want another one of those?" He turns and looks at Ginger. "What?" She says she didn't say anything.

Quick cut to a middle-aged bartender with a GI haircut asking Toby if he wants another drink. We're in flashback land again. It seems to be midday at this bar. Toby's smoking a stogie (yecch) and sitting with a somewhat haggard-looking woman. I can only assume that she's not having the best hair day of her life on this particular day. She says that she didn't even know Bartlet was running. Toby says that they keep it a pretty good secret. Titles inform us that we are in Hank's Tavern, in Nashua, New Hampshire. Toby suggests that she come to hear Bartlet speak at the VFW hall that night. She demurs, saying that she's not very political. He tells her that there'll be free chicken. She asks whether he's been a "professional political operative" his whole life. Toby jests, "Well, there was a while there I was in elementary school." She chuckles, and asks him if he's any good at it. Toby's resting his head on his right hand, which is also holding his cigar. He pauses, scratches his forehead a bit, and finally says that he's very good at it. She asks how many elections he's won. Toby says, "Altogether? Including city council, two Congressional races, a Senate race, the gubernatorial campaign, and a national campaign..." He pauses, scratches his forehead again. "None." She seems pretty surprised. Toby's unfazed: "You gotta be impressed with my consistency." She then asks him why he's drinking so much so early in the day. Toby explains that he's about to be fired. He takes another swig of his drink, tells her that it was good meeting her, and leaves. Time for some commercials.

At the bleak-looking VFW hall in Nashua -- where, believe me, it's not an SRO event -- Governor Bartlet is rattling on about economics, his area of specialty. Behind him on the stage, the New Hampshire flag (you know, "Don't tread on me") is hanging sideways. Toby's sitting alone on a table at the back. Some tool in a suit comes over to him and asks what Bartlet's going to say if he's asked about the New England DFC. Toby says he doesn't know. The Tool asks if Toby talked to him, which Toby confirms, and asks what Bartlet's going to say. Toby says again that he doesn't know. The Tool keeps pestering Toby about it and asks him a third time what the Governor will say. Toby replies, "I have no new information since the last time you asked me that question." Bartlet's fielding a question about taxes and is blathering on to a woman in the audience about how married people seem to be penalized tax-wise. The Tool accuses Toby, "You told him to go ahead and piss off the dairy farmers, didn't you?" Toby is looking more and more annoyed. He finally says that he asked Bartlet about his vote, Bartlet told him, and he advised him that if asked about it tonight, he should. Piss off the dairy farmers, that is. "It's the easiest thing to remember: tell the truth." The Tool asks Toby, "Do you enjoy losing?" Toby states, "Not that much, no. Then again, I have nothing to compare it to." The Tool wanders back to the other side of the room to stand with all the other tools on this campaign who fail to appreciate Toby's brilliance.

Back at the podium, Jed's wrapping up a long-winded answer to the woman in the audience. He finally asks, "You really didn't understand any of that, right?" She hedges: "A little." He says, "Me too." Another guy stands up and asks about Bartlet's having voted against the New England Dairy Farming Compact when he was a member of Congress. The fellow complains that that vote hurt him to the tune of maybe ten cents a gallon. The Big Tool glares at Toby. We see that Josh is sitting at the back of the room. He appears to be working a crossword puzzle or something. He is completely uninterested. The dairy farmer continues, stating that he voted for Bartlet three times for Congress and twice for Governor. He wants an explanation. Bartlet looks uncomfortable and pauses. He finally says, "Ah...yep, I screwed you on that one." The farmer is like, "I'm sorry?" Bartlet says, "I screwed you. You got hosed." Josh looks up. Bartlet continues about how he put the hammer to a bunch of dairy farmers all over New England: "You guys got rogered, but good. Today for the first time in history, the largest group of Americans living in poverty are children. One in five children live in the most abject, dangerous, hopeless, back-breaking, gut-wrenching, poverty any of us could imagine. One in five, and they're children. If fidelity to freedom and democracy is the code of our civic religion, then surely the code of our humanity is faithful service to that unwritten commandment that says, 'we shall give our children better than we ourselves received.'" "Civic religion?" Um. He continues, "Let me put it this way: I voted against the bill 'cause I didn't want to make it harder for people to buy milk. I stopped some money from flowing into your pocket. If that angers you, if you resent me, I completely respect that. If you expect anything different from the President of the United States, you should vote for somebody else." Josh seems pretty intrigued now. Bartlet thanks them and leaves the stage. Josh does that slow clapping thing that I've only ever seen people do on TV.

By Deborah

Outside the VFW hall, Leo catches up with Jed. He complains about how cold it is for October. Jed asks him if he just fired Cal. Leo says he did. He adds that he also fired Jerry, Steve, Mack, and the other guy. Jed asks if he kept anybody. Leo says he kept Toby. Jed complains that Toby was the only person working for them that he didn't know, and that's the one Leo kept. Leo says that they were worthless and it's time to bring in what they need. Jed seems pretty pissed that Leo made this decision on his own. Leo said he did it because Jed is a "crappy politician" and that he'll probably find him making a lot of decisions on his own. Jed starts blathering about how many times he's gotten elected and so on without Leo's help. Leo snipes, "No, seriously, that's a real political accomplishment considering your family founded this state! Were you even opposed in any of those elections?" Jed continues protesting Leo's decision to get rid of everyone he knew. Leo's completely indifferent and bids him a good night. Jed follows Leo to his car, asking him why he's doing this. He says that Leo's a bigger player than he is, and that Hoynes would make him National Chairman. Jed needles Leo to tell him this isn't one of the twelve steps. Leo snaps, "That's what it is, right after admitting that we're powerless over alcohol and that a higher power can restore us to sanity, that's where you come in." Jed: "Leo..." Leo: "Because I'm tired of it! Year after year after year after year, having to choose between the lesser of 'who cares?' Of trying to get myself excited about a candidate who can speak in complete sentences! Of setting the bar so low I can hardly look at it. They say a good man can't get elected President. I don't believe that...do you?" Jed looks slightly humble. "And you think I'm that man?" Leo: "Yes." Jed asks, "Doesn't it matter that I'm not as sure?" Leo replies, "Nah! Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you. Put another way: fake it 'til you make it. You did good tonight." As they walk down the street together, Leo assures him, "This is the time of Jed Bartlet, old friend. You're going to open your mouth and lift houses off the ground. Whole houses, clear off the ground..."

We see POTUS walking gingerly down the hospital corridor. There's a montage of television coverage of the shooting interspersed with shots of C.J., Toby, and Sam, interspersed with more shots of the crime scene and investigation, and the activity in the Situation Room, and then Donna and Mrs. Landingham waiting morosely at the hospital, ending up with Josh's surgery. We see Jed with Leo standing behind him, watching the operation. Jed says softly but gravely, "Look what happened."

By Deborah

Back in the present day, it's 1:45 on Tuesday morning. Ron Butterfield lets Leo into Jed's recovery room, where Abby and Zoey are by his side. Jed's pleading to be allowed to see Josh. Everyone thinks that he should stay in bed. He keeps begging and finally Dr. Keller gives a subtle sign of assent to Abby. She relents and says that he can see Josh just for a minute.

By Deborah

West Wing TV Show - In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Part I - West Wing Photos &amp; Videos, West Wing Reviews &amp; West Wing Recaps | TWoP

West Wing TV Show - In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen, Part I - West Wing Photos & Videos, West Wing Reviews & West Wing Recaps | TWoP